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Episode 216: Lesser Evil
Lesser Evil is the sixteenth and final episode of the second season. It is the twenty-eighth episode overall. Notes * Clients: Victor Stecker-Epps * Bad Guys: Carla Baxter, Management * Deaths: Carla Baxter- (shot by Fiona), Victor (shot by Michael in a mercy killing). Synopsis As Michael interrogates Victor, Michael discovers the truth behind Victor's tragic past. When the truth about Carla and the organization is finally revealed, everyone is put in danger. Spy Facts *The most dangerous time in any operation is just as everything's coming together. You never know whether you're about to get a pat on the back, or a bullet to the back of the head. Of course, there's not much you can do but act like everything is fine. *When you're dealing with a trained operative, you have to assume they're as good as you are. If you'd have cut through the restraints given a few hours alone, chances are he had the same idea. *Spies are supposed to travel light with nothing that could identify them. Some do, but most find that staying sane requires staying connected to something that reminds them why they do what they do. Pictures are particularly dangerous to carry unless the people in them are already dead. *You don't last long as a spy if you don't trust anyone. If you're looking over your shoulder to see who's coming after you, you can't see where you're going. Sometimes you just have to trust your gut. *In a firefight on the road, you've got a few options. Without something high-caliber, you're not going to be able to penetrate the radiator or the fire wall behind it. That leaves two options: The windshield or ricocheting bullets off the ground, up through the undercarriage, which is one of the least-reinforced parts of a car. For sheer panic, it's hard to beat bullets coming up from the floorboards. *When you're out-manned and out-gunned, the key is to appear bigger and stronger than you are. Take your enemy's expectations and turn them against him. To make a good-sized fireball without a lot of ordnance you need a powder with a high surface-area-to-mass ratio. Non-dairy creamer mixed with gunpowder works nicely. *A security perimeter is like a defensive line in football. You've got a couple of options. You can try to punch through the line with brute force, or you can soften it up with a little misdirection. *A fake utility box isn't a bad hiding place. People don't touch things labeled "high voltage." Repair crews leave them alone too. They're not real, so they never need servicing. *One of the most common cover ID's for a spy is service personnel. Of course, anyone who works in intelligence knows to check service personnel. So a quick phone call to the gas company and you've created the perfect distraction. *The active ingredient in pepper spray is the chemical capsaicin. Mixed with some alcohol and oil, pressurize it in a paint sprayer with CO2, and you have a homemade pepper grenade. *A few nails in the right places on a car door blocks the lever bar, making it impossible to open, leaving you free to do pretty much whatever you want. *In intelligence work, your most important tool, more important than any combat technique, any technical skill, is your ability to twist the facts of a situation to your own advantage. The worse the facts are, the more you've gotta sell it. *As a spy working for a government, you're protected. You may work solo, but you have agreements with other spy agencies. Even when you're surrounded by your enemies, that protects you. When your entire career consists of making enemies, there's no greater danger than being totally cut off, alone. *When you find yourself out in the cold, all you can do is put your head down and try to survive. Full Recap Michael gets picked up by Carla in a limo unsure if she knows that he has kidnapped Victor. They have a heart to heart discussion in the limo where Carla reveals that she too is a burned spy, who was "angry at first, but then found she didn't miss it " she then suggests that the same might be true of Michael. Done with the soft approach she tells Michael that Management is not happy and are not people to be trifled with. They are coming into town to make sure everything is resolved. Carla ends by warning Michael that there "are worst things then being blacklisted." Michael responds with his usual cheek and exits the limo leaving an unhappy Carla behind. Michael meets up with Sam and Fiona at the hideout spot where they are keeping Victor prisoner. After confirming with Sam that he wasn't followed, Michael asks Fi about Victor. Fiona informs Michael that the last she checked he was asleep. Michael is immediately suspicious and in a voice-over sequence enters the dungeon-like area where Victor is being held and accurately assesses that Victor is ready for attack. They fight briefly before Fi walks in and takes Victor down with a Bean Bag round and the statement "that's enough rough housing boys." Victor safely tied up again- Michael begins interrogating him about why Victor's trying to kill him. Victor states that he was just trying to "remove operatives from the field" because they were "cogs in a machine" and he just "hit the machine with a baseball bat." Victor turns the tables in the interview by accurately targeting Michael's real motive of wanting his old job back. Michael undeterred wants to know why Victor is coming after the organization. Victor resists. Michael counters by telling Victor he's out of moves and should trust him. "You have nothing to lose and everything to gain." These words are apparently the key to Victor's trust because he opens up and reveals that when he was stationed in Mexico City with the CIA his family was killed and then he was burned too. Carla approached shortly after and at least initially Victor was an "enthusiastic" recruit. In a maniacal fit of laughter, Victor concludes by saying that the "truly funny thing is" is that Carla was the one that had his family killed as a part of his recruitment. He states that since he was already so deeply entrenched in the organization he might as well try to do a little damage on the way out. Michael offers his help to take down the organization with Victor. Michael heads out to Victor's boat to look for the proof that confirms Victor's story leaving instructions for Sam to give Victor some air while he's out. At the boat, Fi disables the booby-trapped door to the main cabin. Michael finds the proof - photos of Victor's wife and his 4-year old son. Fi muses "who knew you could feel this bad for a psychopath on the edge of sanity" and Michael counters that "people don't get there on their own Fi - being under Carla's thumb is a strain." Fi counters that Michael "did alright." Michael responds with a deep stare that "he never lost everyone he cared about." Meanwhile, Sam brings Victor up for further questioning at the hideout. After a brief interrogation power struggle, Sam uses the direct approach to get Victor to share. Victor says that he doesn't know much -- they do black ops, no one gets the whole set of instructions, and they have operations all over, but it looks like their work in Miami will have to shut down for awhile. Sam doesn't like the sound of that. Victor affirms Sam's concern by saying that if Miami gets shutdown, Carla will come after Michael, his friends, and his family. Sam shares his concerns with Michael and Fi when they return. Michael quickly notes that they're not handing Victor over and the three of them have to keep their routines as normal as possible. That means Fi keeps her meeting and Sam needs to come up with a reason to get Madeleine out of town. Sam encounters Maddi "exercising" and lets her know it's time for an emergency trip to Disney World. Maddi insists that Sam tell her what's going on and that she won't leave until he explains. Michael is back at it with Victor, questioning him about Carla and her activities. Victor says it's all pointless now and precedes to give a rundown of how at this very moment Carla's men have figured out Michael's location and are hunting him and will kill them both once found. Michael decides to release Victor and they escape together in an epic car chase. While trying to getaway, Michael receives a call from Carla who gives him the "actions have consequences" speech. Unfazed, Michael and Victor ditch Michael's car in a parking garage. Sam is having a difficult time convincing Madeleine how serious the current situation is and how urgent it is for them to get out of town. By the time Maddi comes to her senses, Carla's men have arrived and Sam has to take up a defensive position. Michael and Victor are in a similar position at the parking garage and call Fiona in for backup. Fortunately, Fi just concluded a weapons deal-- understanding Michael's coded message, Fi confirms details and then drives over her cell phone destroying it. Maddi and Sam are holed up in the house and strategize to use the neighbors car to escape. Sam comes up with a distraction in the form of exploding Christmas lights rigged to the front door. Michael comes up with a non-lethal way for him and Victor to escape from the parking garage and drive off in a flashy sports car to intercept with Fi. With three cars tailing them, Michael drives past the rendezvous point with Fi as she proceeds to set off multiple car bombs to take out their pursuers. Job accomplished Fi pulls up alongside Michael and a bewildered Victor who proclaims "where did you find her?" The new plan is blackmail which Fi is not excited about. They have to grab the incriminating materials from Victor's hiding spot which is under surveillance. In a clever rouse, Michael, Fi, and Victor distract and contain the surveillance guys which allows them to grab the blackmail materials and make a clean getaway. After reviewing the dirt on Carla, Michael comes up with a plan for himself and Victor. First, he asks Fiona to go and help Sam protect his family. With a kiss and a slap, Fiona agrees saying "it's not goodbye" and for Michael to be careful. Returning to Victor's boat, Michael and Victor are preparing to leave when Victor gets shot by one of Carla's snipers. Carla calls Michael and tells him Management is arriving and that Michael can still be the hero if he kills Victor. If not, Carla will blow up the boat that is rigged with C4. As Carla continues to threaten Michael as Management draws near in a helicopter she raises the remote to blow up the boat but is shot down by Fiona in a nearby wooded area. She and Sam had returned to help Michael. Victor details Michael's way out of this situation --which includes Michael shooting him and spinning a tale for management. Michael agrees with Victor's assessment of things and mournfully (and perhaps mercifully) shoots Victor. Michael then takes the blackmail materials to Management and leaves with him in the helicopter. Management questions Michael about his recent activities and motives. Michael emphatically proclaims that he wants Management out of his life. Management suggests to Michael that instead of them being a harmful influence on his life they have actually been keeping other negative influences at bay on Michael's behalf. He queries " Do you know what kind of hell will rain down on you without us?" With an "I'll take my chances" Michael jumps from the helicopter into the ocean. Cast Main * Michael Westen * Sam Axe * Fiona Glenanne * Madeline Westen Recurring * Tricia Helfer as Carla Baxter * Michael Shanks as Victor Stecker-Epps * John Mahoney as Management Guest N/A Trivia *In the ending scenes, a boat can be seen nearby behind the chopper yet in the end, Michael is swimming towards the faraway shore and not towards the boat. *Bruce Campbell (Sam) and John Mahoney (Management) appeared together in the film The Hudsucker Proxy. Continuity Errors *At the beginning of the episode, Fiona is standing guard with a shotgun. She pumps it once in front of Michael yet when she enters the room to rescue him, she pumps again before shooting (and no shell is seen ejected). 216 Category:Season 2 Category:Recaps not included yet Category:Season Finales